Snowdown short stories
by shioriakasuna
Summary: Short stories about the champions in the League of Legends during snowdown.
1. Chapter 1

**Hot Cocoa**

* * *

Kai'sa walked leisurely through the quiet halls of the institute. Snowdown was almost over now and in a few days, these halls would be bustling with people again. She did not have a set destination in mind, but she felt the need to wander around and stretch her legs instead of being cooped up in her room all the time.

She didn't have many close friends in the league, as many were wary of her for her affiliation with the Void. Despite that, she mostly had a neutral relationship with other champions, only conversing with them during league matches.

Kai'sa paused as she reached the entrance of the institute, where a large set of stairs led into the small town below. From a distance, she could hear festive music play in the background and see the beautifully lit lanterns that illuminated the night sky. She remembered hearing summoners talking about Snowdown festivities, and that all champions were encouraged to participate. There was food, drinks and entertainment designed to keep everyone in a merry mood. Kai'sa wasn't much of a party person, but she decided to head out anyway. Part of her was curious to how different these events were compared to her old home in Shurima, but now that she thought of it, her memory as a child was a blur after she had obtained her new body.

The music grew louder as she approached the venue, and she could begin to smell the sweet spices in the air. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she headed over to the nearest vendor, which seemed to be a sweet store. Glancing over the goods, she only recognized a few of the desserts; sweet rice pudding and cinnamon carrot cake. She wasn't particularly hungry so she turned to leave, until she felt a light tap on her arm. Turning around, Kai'sa noticed a small girl holding out a tray of what seemed to be freshly baked cookies. The little girl motioned for her to take one, smiling as she saw Kai'sa's hesitant hand take a cookie. She inspected it. The cookie was shaped into what seemed to be a poro, and she could smell the sweet spices coming from it.

"It's a gingerbread cookie", she heard a deep voice say beside her. Startled, she looked to her side to see a short elderly Ionian man smiling at her. "Try it!" he encouraged her. Kai'sa reached to her pouch to grab a few coins, only to notice she didn't have her pouch with her. She mentally face palmed as she remembered that she originally went out for a walk, and wasn't indenting to buy anything, therefore she didn't bring any money. With a sigh she placed the cookie back on the tray, "Sorry, I didn't bring any money". The elderly man merely laughed and patted her on the back. "It's a gift! Merry Showdown!" he exclaimed as he handed the cookie back to her. Kai'sa smiled gratefully, and took a small bite. It was slightly sweet, but she could also feel the spices dancing on her tongue. Overall it was delicious. She thanked the elderly man and the little girl before continuing on her walk.

Despite it being cold and dark, the town was quite crowded and Kai'sa felt the need to find herself a space to breathe, as she was starting to feel claustrophobic. She made her way to a more secluded part of the town, where not many people were aside from the occasional couple walking about. She spotted an empty bench and made her way to it, sitting on the edge. Kai'sa let out a sigh, thinking back to her past. Most of the champions had returned back to their home countries to be with their family for Snowdown. She was one of the few who remained in the League as her family was no longer back in Shurima. This was her home now. The only person left whom she could call family was someone whom she avoided and rarely talked to. Their reunion had been tense from the beginning, looks of disbelief directed at each other when they first encountered each other on the rift.

Kai'sa heard shuffling next to her, but she didn't turn to see who it was, instead staring into the stars ahead.

"May I sit here?" came a deep voice that seemed to echo.

She nodded

The person sat down on the far end of the bench, making sure to give her space. Then there was silence again. _That voice sounds familiar_ , she thought after a while.

And then something clicked.

She whipped her head to the side, finally noticing who it was. Her violet eyes narrowed as they met with the topaz eyes of the man who sat beside her.

"Why are _**you**_ here, Kassadin?" she said with skeptically.

He didn't answer her, instead staring off into space as if she wasn't there at all. Kai'sa stared at him intently, but when no reply came, she sighed and went back to looking at the stars, trying to ignore the man beside her.

After several moments of silence, she heard something being placed next to her. Kai'sa turned to look at it. It was a small cup filled with warm liquid, a sweet smell wafting through the air around them. She picked up the glass, looked to Kassadin, who looked like he hadn't move an inch, then back to the cup again. Something about it seemed very familiar. Slowly, she raised the cup to her lips and took a small sip.

She recognized this taste fairly well and almost instantly, memories of her childhood rushed to her. She remembered her father used to prepare a small cup of hot cocoa when the nights grew cold in the desert, how she would happily sip at the sweet drink while he had told her bedtime stories.

Kai'sa smiled sadly at the cup in her hands. A painful ache in her chest echoed her longing to return to the child she used to be. But she knew that would never happen. She was forever different now. She had to be, in order to survive.

Kai'sa looked up as Kassadin stood up suddenly, and he slowly made his was to leave. Conflict shot through her eyes, and just before he was out of earshot, she said softly,

"Merry Showdown… Father"

Kassadin paused for a while, turning his head back slightly.

"Merry Snowdown, Kaisa".


	2. Chapter 2

**Anything for you**

Xayah sat on her bed, pulling all the blankets she could find closer to her. She HATED the cold and unfortunately it was the winter season. Normally she and Rakan would journey to the more tropical lands to stay because it was warmer, but since she were a champion at the League, she was needed at the Institute in order to participate in matches.

Rakan paced around the room, a hand to his chin as he thought about what to do in order to relieve his boredom. The past few days have been rather uneventful, mostly due to the fact that his girlfriend refused to go out in this weather.

After a moment of muttering to himself, Rakan broke the silence. "You know babe, the festival is looking pretty fun right now, maybe we should check it out!" he said with an enthusiastic look. "They have lots of food we can try and games that humans play! There's even one where you can try shooting Teemo!" He waved his arms wildly trying to show how much different attractions there were. Xayah gave him an annoyed look. She was cold and didn't feel like interact with other people. Besides, who would want to leave the warmth of the bed?

Rakan slumped his shoulders, defeated. He knew Xayah wasn't one for trying new things like he was, but he gave it a shot anyway. Sighing, he walked out of the room, dejected and Xayah could hear the door to their apartment open and then close. _He must have gone on his own_ , she thought while rolling her eyes. It was uncommon for Rakan to wander off without her, but she was too occupied with shivering to care too much. Instead she looked out of her window, watching the fluffy white clouds float across the horizon. The sun was setting now and she could see the beginnings of dark streaks across the sky.

* * *

"I'm back!" came a loud voice, and Xayah looked up surprised to find her companion walking towards her, holding what seems to be two mugs of steaming hot tea. He must have gone to the cafeteria to pick them up. Rakan handed her a mug as he sat next to her on the bed and she took it gratefully. Taking a sip from the tea, she could feel the warmth of the liquid relax her, "Thanks Rakan…" He smiled at her before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, "Anything for you babe".

After a moment of peaceful drinking, Xayah got out of bed and placed her finished mug on the bedside table. Rakan watched as she walked over to door and pulled on her cape to keep herself warm.

"Come on, we're going out" she said as she threw Rakan his own cape.

His eyes lit up as he jumped out of bed, "Where to?!"

Xayah linked her arm around Rakan's as they walked out of their apartment and smiled, "To the festival of course". Rakan jumped into the air with glee, "Whoohoo! You're the best Xayah".

Xayah rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's enthusiasm.

 _ **Anything for you too…**_


End file.
